Given the increase in contagions reported by Ómicron, and on such special dates as Christmas when family and business meetings are frequent, the antigen test has become a useful tool for detecting new cases.Getting an antigen test is one of the main recommendations made by virologists, with the aim of making sure that we test negative before attending any meeting or event.In our country, the Community of Madrid, for example, announced the delivery of a free antigen test for each Madrilenian, available in pharmacies starting next Wednesday, December 15.Because it is an instrument that helps to detect new cases, a study published by the website 'medRxiv' shows the comparison between a saliva antigen test and the nasal test, with the aim of verifying which of the two is more effective.This was the result.According to the results published by the experts, a high SARS-CoV-2 viral load was observed in saliva samples, in contrast to nasal test samples, where the viral load was low or negative.However, it was not the only notable difference.Another of the results of the investigation was that the saliva samples detected COVID-19 in a period between 1.5 and 4.5 days before the samples of the nasal antigen test.The viral load, which appeared first in the high-sensitivity tests, was higher than the low-sensitivity tests used in the nasal tests.With regard to antigen tests, the pharmaceutical company Roche announced the creation of a new test that will make it possible to differentiate if we have the flu or if we have tested positive for COVID-19.The results, according to the company itself, in about 15 or 30 minutes and could be available at the beginning of the year 2022.Initially detected in South Africa, and later in several European countries, the United Kingdom is one of the countries in which more infections have been registered by this new variant.Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted that "a tide is coming" after more than three thousand cases have been reported in the British country and the first death by Ómicron in the country was reported.Faced with this situation, the 'premier' himself warned of the importance of inoculating the booster dose, since, according to him, two doses of the vaccine "are not enough to provide the level of protection we need."A fact that led to the decision to administer the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before the end of the year, instead of doing it in January as originally planned.The Secretary of Health, Sajid Javi, warned that Ómicron "could become the dominant variant in just two days" because in London, 44% of registered infections are by Ómicron, while in the rest of England it is from at least 20%.In order to comment, you must be registered and logged in.Forgot your password?Subscribe to our newsletterA fleece jacket with more than 20,000 ratings and in 24 different colorsHeats the bed in three minutes with the best-selling electric heater on Amazon